9. ISkin EXo - AckNOWLEDGE, Continued

A close-up of the iSkin eXo in Hothouse Orange. The eXo is available in a variety of colors and translucencies to fit almost every color taste. We wanted to check out some of the new "Glo" versions of the eXo, but ackNOWLEDGE tells us that these have been so popular that they have not been able to keep them in stock. While some may consider this product a simple concept, the 3mm of protection around the entire iPod offers a "bumper pad" effect that protects the iPod far better than any of the other cases available for the iPod.

Once you have the iPod eXo installed on your iPod, you might wonder how in the world you are going to dock the iPod. This is where things get somewhat strange: to dock the iPod, you must peel back the iSkin eXo at the bottom of the iPod by pulling it around the corners of the scroll wheel. Once this is done, you now have the bottom half of the iPod exposed, which allows it to fit into the dock with no problem. Our only comment about this design is that the pulling and stretching puts a lot of stress on the iSkin eXo right in the middle of the buttons, which makes us wonder whether after doing this many times to dock the unit will cause a tear in the iSkin eXo. According to ackNOWLEDGE, this isn't an issue because of the highly pliable silicon material that they are using for the iSkin. During our use of the iSkin eXo we did not have any problems with docking the iPod, but we decided that it was easier to unplug the cable and not use the dock than it was to have to peel back the iSkin eXo to dock the unit.

Maintenance of the iSkin eXo is simple. The iSkin eXo can be cleaned by wiping it with a damp cloth or can be washed (without the iPod, obviously) in a mild solution of soap in water. This is a good thing, as the silicon material on the iSkin eXo attracts dust and dirt, which in turn clings to it. It really isn't as bad as it sounds, and is easily cleaned. In addition, we should also point out that the belt clip that is included with the unit is secure for most uses; however, it isn't the best solution if you engage in rough and aggressive sports or physical activities. Personally, I would not trust this clip to hold my iPod during intense physical activities and/or sports.

Overall, the iSkin eXo is a great case product that enhances the beauty of the iPod while providing a far better level of protection than most other cases. The silicone design and shape should protect it from many common mishaps far better than other cases. While this design may not appeal to everyone, the iSkin eXo, presents a new twist on case design and protection with style. With a variety of colors that offer varying levels of translucency, even the most choosy iPod snob should be able to find a color and style that appeals to them. Based on our experience with the previous version of the iSkin, we can assure that it does its job of protecting the Apple iPod.

For this reason, we applaud the iSkin eXo and give it a THG Editor's Choice Award. We think this is the best overall solution that is available for protecting the valued and costly iPod. We would still like to see ackNOWLEDGE improve the belt clip design in the next generation of the iSkin eXo to offer just a tad more security.

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